Pin tumbler cylinder lock



Nov. 24, 1936. R. L. NEER PIN TUMBLER CYLINDER LOCK Filed Aug. 14, 1935 INVENTOR. fiagmond ll .Neer,

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 24, 1936- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIN TUMBLER CYLINDER LOCK Application August 14, 1935, Serial No. 36,080 1 Claims. (01. 70-47) The object of my invention is to provide an improved form of pin-tumbler lock which shall be more nearly pick-proof than previous forms of locks of that type.

5 More specifically, my invention relates to improvements in construction of the type of .lock disclosed in my Patent 1,932,706 dated October 31, 1933.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an em- 10. bodiment of my invention in a lock wherein the pin-tumblers are arranged in a helical series:

Fig. 1 is an axial section on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 2 a fragmentary section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with the key in place;

Fig. 3a side elevation, on a smaller scale and.

including an appropriate key;

Fig. 4 an end elevation, in the plane of line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 an end elevation on the scale of Fig. 3;

and

Fig.0 an end elevation of the key shown in Fig.

In the drawing, l0 indicates the main shell of the lock 'having the main bore ll, intermediate shoulder l2 and entrance bore I3.

Rotatably sleeved within bore I I is a cylindrical secondary tumbler-sleeve l4 seated at one end on shoulder l 2 and with its other end in the main flush with the inner end of shell l0 but having extended stop-blocks I5 and anchor pins It, the

purpose of which will appear.

Nonrotatively secured to sleeve M, by anchor pins I6, and spaced from the adjacent end of easing ID by blocks I5, is a disk I! provided with various eccentric perforations by means of which said disk may be connected to a bolt to be retracted through the medium of my mechanism.

Rotatively sleeved within the secondary tumbler sleeve I4 is a primary cylindrical tumbler sleeve 20 shouldered at 2| to seat on shoulder l2.

The key-entry end of sleeve 20 is flush with one end of shell [0 and its other end is flush with the ends of blocks l5.

Freely rotatively mounted axially in disk I1 is a pin 22 which isaxially anchored in the disk and has a diameter less than the bore of sleeve 20 so as to provide an annular key pocket 23.

The bore of sleeve 20 is provided with a helical groove 25 and the exterior of shell I0 is provided each pin pocket group 21, 21', 21" is a tumblerpin group 28,28, 28".

The pins 28' have fiat ends and variable lengths and, as an additional precaution against picking, these pins may be waisted, as indicated at 30, to provide deception shear planes 3|, 3|. The pins 28" have fiat outer ends to receive the adjacent pin 28' and rounded inner ends to engage the key fin to be described. These pins 28' will vary in length to correspond with the key fin so that, 10 when key-raised, their upper ends will lie at the arc of the periphery of sleeve 20 and bore of sleeve M.

The pins 28 may be of uniform length, falling short of the exterior of shell I0 and may be 15 waisted, as indicated at 32, to provide the deception shear plane 32.

The pin groups 28, 28, 28" are yieldingly urged inwardly by light springs 33 in a well known manner, as in the structure shown in my Patent 20 1,932,706.

A plate 50 overlies the inner end of sleeve l4 and is notched at 5| to receive blocks I5 and limit the angular movement of sleeve It.

The key, appropriate to this lock, comprises 25 a tubular stem .40 sized to enter the annular space 23 and carrying ahelical fin 4! sized to enter groove 25 and peripherally flattened at appropriate points to engage and control the radial position of .the tumbler-pin groups so that, when at; the key is fully screwed into sleeve 20, the outer ends of all of the pins 28' will lieat the periphery, of sleeve I! 'so that this sleeve .may be freed to rotate within shell l0.

The pins 28' may be variable in length, if de- 5 sired but each group 28, 28" must havean overall length such that, when key-positioned, the outer ends of pins 28' will lie at the periphery of sleeve 14 and some or all of the junctions between pins 28' and 28" will be within or without 40 the periphery of sleeve 20 so that sleeves l4 and- 20 will be rotatively interlocked.

In order that sleeve 20 may be positively key, rotated in either direction, the key is provided with an actuating head 42 splined to stem' lfland 45 yieldingly backed by spring 43. Head'fl is provided with a pin 44 projectable into a pocket 45 in the outer end of sleeve 20 so that the key and said sleeve may be rotatively interlocked.

The lock shown in my Patent 1,932,706 has been 59 on the market for several years and, until recently, successfully baflled pickers, but skillful pickers have recently been abl'efto successively push the inner tumblers to shear position and hold them by successive slight angular move 35 ments of the tumbler sleeve. Pickers found that they could get the feel of the lock due to. the fact that the main shell must be, of course, firmly anchored and the central pin' (over which the I key is sleeved) was rotative with the tumbler sleeve.

In my. present structure, it will be noted that the core pin 22 is at all times freely rotative so that a picker cannot get any feel of the lock through the medium of this pin. It will be possible for a picker to outwardly displace all of the inner pins 28" with their outer ends in the shear line between the primary sleeve 20 and the secondary sleeve l4 (though the presence of the deception shear-planes3l will impede the operation) but when this has been'successfully accomplished, sleeve 20 ismerely freed for rotation while sleeve remains locked to shell "I.

If the several pin groups 28'28" be so proportioned as to length that, when the outer ends of pins 28' are properly in the shear plane between sleeve ll'and shell I0, some of the pins 28 will project into sleeve I4 and some of the pins 28' will project into sleeve 20, the chances of successful picking will be enormously less than would be the case where, when key-positioned to' free sleeve H from shell 10, all of pins 28" project into sleeve l4.

I claim as my invention: 1. A look comprising a main shell, a cylindrical sleeve rotatably mounted in theshell, a second cylindrical sleeve rotatably mountedin the first' mentioned sleeve,'a disk secured to and capping one end of the first-mentioned sleeve, a pin carried by said disk and projected into the secondmentioned sleeve and rotative relative to the disk,

' registrable radial tumbler-pin pockets in the shell and each of said sleeves, and a tumbler-pin group comprising three alinable and contactible pins mounted'in said pockets, the several pins of the group having such relative lengths that the group may be positioned to afiord a free" shear between thetwo sleeves and an interlock between the first-mentioned sleeve and the shell, or positioned to afford a free shear between the first-mentioned sleeve and the shell and an interlock between the two' sleeves. I

2. A look of the character specified in claim 1 wherein the shell and'two sleeves are provided with helically arranged registrable tumbler-pin pockets with each pocket group containing a tumbler-pin group,

3. A lock comprising a main shell, a cylindrical sleeve rotatively mounted in the shell, a disc secured to and capping one end' .of saidsleeve, a pin journalled in said disc and projected axially through said sleeve, registrable radial tumblerpin pockets in the shell and sleeve, and a tumblernection with an element to be actuated thereby, the said shell, primary sleeve and secondary sleeve having registrable pockets therein, a threepin tumbler group mounted in said pockets and so proportioned that when the pins in the primary and secondary sleeves are positioned for the shear plane'between said sleeves the pins in the secondary sleeve and shell will be positioned to interlock ,the 'secondarysleeve with the shell, and when the pins in the-secondary sleeve and shell are positioned for the shear plane between the secondary sleeve and the shell the pins in the primary and secondary sleeves will be positioned to interlock said sleeves, and a pin arranged axially within the primary sleeve and freely rotatable and axially anchored relative to said primary sleeve and shell.

. RAYMOND L. NEER.

the primary tumbler sleeve and adapted for con- 

